Wandering
by Pharaohs Queen
Summary: All Toph needed was some time away from everybody else. But a wanderer noticed her bending and decided to take a closer look. Just who is he?
1. Chapter 1

_Wandering_

Chapter 1

"Argh!"

Boulder met cliff face, shattering and throwing pebbles everywhere. She stood in the middle of the downpour, hands clenched into fists to keep them from shaking.

"Stupid… jerk… don't you tell me how to teach!" She whirled around, catching more boulders with her bending, crashing them against each other in her fury. "Gave up everything… jerk… why can't you just… ARGH!" With that final scream, she drove her head into a boulder, shattering it. Stone fragments rained down; she was breathing hard, but it felt good to take her anger out on _something_.

Though she was still mad enough that she didn't want to join the others yet. If even at all.

She took one more deep breath and brought her hands up, ready to bend more, when she felt a light tap in the earth some distance away.

Hand still up, she stretched out with her bending, listening hard. Another light tap followed the first, then another, and another…

Someone was sneaking up on her.

She grinned. With her back to the person, they didn't see it. And they couldn't know that _she_ could see _him_.

He came a few steps closer, but he must've sensed something amiss. He paused, and she struck, snapping her hands up, cocooning him in earth. He let out a strangled gurgle; she turned to face him, a triumphant smile on her face.

"That's what you get for trying to sneak up on me," she said, walking over to him, feeling him squirm in his impromptu prison.

"I wasn't trying to sneak!" Judging from his low voice, it _was_ a guy. "I just… walk quietly." His voice was strange, muffled in an odd way, like he was talking through something and trying to make his voice sound different at the same time.

"Uh-_huh_," she said, squinting unseeing eyes. "Sure."

"Really! I just… heard a lot of crashes over here, and I was curious."

"Typically, people want to walk _away_ from angry Earthbenders," she said, turning away and folding her arms.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an angry Earthbender and one who's just practicing," he said, voice dry.

"Listen you—" she whipped her hand up to point in his face, and her fingertip brushed against something that defiantly was _not_ skin. She paused, and brushed her fingers over his strange face again. "What's wrong with your face?"

He sighed. "I'm wearing a mask."

"Oh. Why?"

He shrugged, an odd movement under the earth. "Why else would anyone wear a mask?"

She shrugged back. "I dunno. I can't tell the difference between your real face and a mask."

"You can't?"

She turned towards him, giving him a good look of her blind eyes. "Oh," was all he said.

She walked a couple of steps away, turning her back to him. "You might as well take it off. Make yourself more comfortable."

"That's a little hard at this point." He wiggled his hands for emphasis. "And I don't even want to take it off."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't like my face," he said, an old pain in his voice. "I don't even like my face."

"I don't care."

"Listen, whoever you are—"

She whirled around and pointed back at him. "I'm Toph Beifong, and I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world!" She stomped her foot, and the cone of earth around him collapsed back into the ground. "And don't you forget it."

He stumbled a bit at the suddenness of the release. "I don't think I'm likely to forget you anytime soon," he muttered to himself, but Toph still caught the words, and grinned. "If you can't see my face," he asked, voice back to normal volume, "then why do you care if I take my mask off?"

She held a hand out. "Can I hold it? I've never held a mask before."

There was a small ripple of shock through the earth from him. "That's… strange to think about," he admitted, hands behind his head. He untied it and pulled it from his face, shaking his head, and put it in her hand.

"It's hard for a lot of people to think about not being able to see," Toph said, hefting the mask. It was very light, and shaped intricately. She ran her fingers over the front, taking in the design. "It feels scary."

"I like to think it looks that way too."

She turned it over, felt the inside, then put it up to her face. "Is this how it's supposed to go?"

She heard him give a cough that might have been a suppressed laugh. "It's upside down. Here." He helped her turn it around, careful not to touch her at all.

"Huh. And you _like _wearing this? It doesn't feel comfortable at all."

"That's because it's molded to my face. It's isn't _un_comfortable though."

She pulled it away, and tossed it to him. "Here," she said, and sat down on a flat boulder, stretching her feet out.

He snatched the mask out of the air. "So, if you're blind," he said, turning the mask over in his hands, then putting it back on his face, "how did you know I was here?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Well, I'm an Earthbender—obviously. That's how I see. I see using my feet."

His shock was more pronounced. "You _see_ with your _feet?_" He sat next to her, leaning forward—probably looking at her feet. "How does that work?"

Toph wiggled her toes. "I use my bending to sense the vibrations in the earth, and that builds a sort of picture for me to "see" with." She spread her hands. "It's kinda hard to explain."

He shook his head. "That's astonishing." His voice was starting to sound different, like he wasn't forcing himself to change it. More natural, and more familiar. "How exact is your sight?"

"Well, when you were walking over there," she pointed to where she had first sensed him, "I could hear it from all the way over there." She indicated where she had been standing, in the middle of all the rubble.

"What about smaller things?"

"I can see all these pebbles—probably better than you can," she added with a laugh, "and I can even sense a person's heartbeat—their emotions and their lies and stuff."

"You can tell when someone _lies_?" He asked, surprised.

"It's not that hard when you know what to look for," she replied, a satisfied smile on her face. His voice had returned to normal, and she remembered where she had heard his voice before… and who he was. But she wouldn't do anything. Not yet.

"Are you out here by yourself?" He asked after a few quiet moments, his voice curious, his posture non-threatening.

Toph shrugged. "I _was_," she said, giving him a _look_, her voice teasing. "I just… I'm camping with some, um, others, and they started to really irritate me, so I came out here to blow off some steam."

"I can see that," he said, and she guessed he was looking around at the carnage she had created. "You know, I probably would've passed you by if you hadn't buried me halfway in stone."

She shrugged. "I don't think you can be too careful these days. Especially where sneaky people are concerned. Besides," she added, "we wouldn't be talking if I hadn't buried you."

"I can't argue with that," he said, and turned his head.

Toph raised her face, and felt fading sunlight on her skin._ Sunset already?_ "Where were you heading anyways?"

"Nowhere in particular."

"I don't believe that," she said, her feet flat on the ground. "People always have a destination in mind whenever they're traveling."

He was silent for a while. "But your feet—do they tell you I'm lying?"

"Yes," she said, pointing at him and turning her head to face him, her sightless eyes staring at a spot somewhere over his shoulder. "You have a destination in mind, even if you're not going there right now."

"Maybe. But some people just wander, don't they?"

Toph shrugged, leaning back on her hands. "I guess. I've never been one of those people. Me and my… group have always had a destination we were running to."

"That's lucky," he said, his voice low. "I might have a destination… but it's so far off I can't even see it yet."

She waved her hand. "You'll find it." She put her hand back down, and the heat of the sun slipped away. "Is the sun down already?" She asked, turning her head. "Hm. Guess I've been gone all day."

"Too short of a day," he said, blowing the words out in a breath. "It means the cold night is about to start."

"Better a cold night outside than a stuffy night indoors all the time, like back home," Toph said, waving her hand again.

"You don't seem like the kind of person that would put up with that."

"Nope. I snuck out a lot. That's how I met the badgermoles."

"The badgermoles?" She could hear the raised eyebrow in his voice.

"Yep! They're the ones who invented earthbending. They're blind like me, so they taught me how to see and how to bend."

"I've read about the badgermoles," he said, his voice curious. "But no wonder you're so good. You learned from the true masters."

"And _that's_ why I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world!" She laid back on the rock, pumping all four limbs in the air, then letting them drop, her feet flat on the ground again.

"I don't doubt that, but I'm sure there are some who could match you. You've ever heard of King Bumi of Omashu?"

Toph waved a hand. "Heard of him, never met him, could totally _trash_ him!"

"He's got age and experience on his side though," he said, skeptical.

"You should have more confidence in me," she said, grinning.

"A fight between the two of you would be interesting to see."

"Yeah, I would be interesting to _see_, wouldn't it?" She replied, unable to keep all of the bitterness out of her voice.

"Well…" she sensed him shrug. "You see anyways, don't you? Just not in the same way. I bet you could understand an Earthbender fight on a level someone like me never could—even with perfect eyesight."

She couldn't help but smile. "True. Earthbending is the easiest for me to see. Though to tell the truth, I don't have much experience with the other bending types outside our group. Never seen what a normal firebender could do, for example."

"A 'normal' firebender?" He repeated, body language betraying his interest.

"Yeah." Toph sighed. "A couple of weeks ago, we had this encounter with a crazy firebending girl. She and her friends chased us all night long. I wanted to bash her head in so we could get some sleep!" She paused, and raised her eyebrows. "Unless all firebenders are like that?" She asked, laughing.

He shook his head. "No. But… this firebender. What did she…? Hm. I guess you couldn't tell me what she looked like."

Toph laughed once. "Nope. But her voice… it was cold, and calculating. And her friends were non-benders. One threw sharp things, and the other kept bouncing around all over the place and blocking our bending, somehow."

Through the earth, she saw him stiffen and felt his heartbeat speed up. One of the corners of her mouth turned down, and she planted her feet more firmly.

"Oh. Well, I don't think _all_ firebenders are like that," he said, his voice steady and giving no emotion away.

But Toph knew better. "Well that's good to hear. But why're _you_ nervous?"

"It's... not very comforting to hear that there's a trio like that out there," he said, palms flat on the boulder they were sitting on.

Toph used her whole body to sense the emotional vibrations coming from him. "Do you know who that was?"

"I… maybe. I have an idea."

She sat up, raising a fist and a rock the size of her head with her. "I can tell when you're lying, you know. Don't make me beat the answer out of you."

He sighed. "It sounds like you ran into Azula—princess of the Fire Nation—and her friends."

"Azula…" Toph repeated, lowering her hand and the rock. "She sounds like trouble."

"She _is _trouble," he agreed, voice grim. "She's only interested in power and in getting what she wants."

She turned her head to face him. "You sound like you know her."

"I know _of_ her," he corrected, voice cautious. "I'd stay very, very, very far away from her if I were you."

Toph snorted, putting her hands behind her head. "If she's chasing after the Avatar, then I've got no choice."

He stiffened again. "You're traveling with the Avatar?"

Too late, Toph realized her mistake. _Oh well. Nothing for it_. "Yeah. I'm his earthbending teacher," she said, scratching her ear. "Why should anybody but the best teach him?"

"Why indeed…" he said, mostly to himself. "But it makes sense then why Azula would be chasing after you. I don't envy the path ahead for the Avatar… or his friends," he added, his heartbeat still moving quickly.

"Well, whatever comes, we'll get through it," Toph said, shrugging. "We'll have to."

The other was quiet for a moment. "Or die trying?" He asked, shifting on the rock.

"Please," Toph said, snorting. "We'll win. It'll probably be difficult, but we'll get through it _alive_."

"I hope so," he replied, his tone grim. "Though if the war were _that_ easy to end it would've been done a long time ago… and fewer people would be dead."

"I didn't say it would be easy. Just that we'll win and totally kick the Fire Lord's butt!" She grinned, pumping both fists up in the air.

"Maybe you will," he said, and it sounded like there was a slight smile in his voice, but it disappeared too quickly for her to tell. "That would make a lot of people happy."

"Ha! There's no maybe about it." She pointed at his face. "We _will_ win."

"I wish I had your confidence," he said. It felt like he was still watching her. "What makes you so sure?"

She shrugged, letting her arm fall back on the rock. "_Somebody_ has to be. Else we'd never go through with this whole thing."

"The Avatar isn't sure? What about his friends?"

She paused, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I'm not sure. They never really talk about it. But I can feel how nervous they get sometimes."

"That makes sense, even if they don't say anything," he said, leaning back on the rock.

Toph closed her eyes. "I guess."

They were quiet for a while. Eventually, he shifted slightly and spoke again in an overly casual voice. "So, does the Avatar have a firebending teacher yet?"

It took all her control to keep her face from splitting into an evil grin. "No, not yet. He has to master earthbending first before he can learn firebending. Why? You wanna teach him?"

"What makes you ask such a thing?" His voice is edging towards defensive, and his heart rate leapt.

_Bingo._

"Well, why else would you ask, or care so much?"

"What makes you think _I'm _a firebender?" He shot back, body betraying his uneasiness.

"I don't know," she shrugged, still grinning, "I didn't suspect you were 'til you started getting all defensive about it."

She heard the quiet sound of teeth grinding. "That's not something your feet can tell you?"

"I don't know if you're a bender or what type until I see you bend," she said, putting her hands behind her head. "I'm working on that though."

"Hm. Well, either way, the Avatar will have to learn firebending before he can face the Fire Lord."

Toph snorted. "Obviously." She sat up. "So, why don't you want to be his firebending teacher?"

He twitched slightly. "I'd have to be a firebender, wouldn't I?"

_Still wanna play dumb? Fine. I'll unmask you for real this time._

"I think you are," she retorted, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Why?" He moved up onto one knee, his whole body tense.

She tapped her ear. "I never forget a voice. I've met you before; I know the face under the mask." Her grinned widened. "Prince Zuko."

In one smooth movement, he jumped to his feet, backing away and dropping into a fighting stance. Toph tilted her head to the side, arms resting on her knees.

"What's up with you? Look, I don't want to fight you. You _can_ help us, can't you?"

"You don't want to fight me?" Zuko's voice was wary, though he was still tense. "Why not?"

Toph grinned. "Actually, I'd love to spar with you, but that's not the point. I just want to know if you can help us."

He straightened, hands dropping by his side and clenching into fists. "You don't want my help," he said, his voice flat.

"Why not? You _can_ teach him, can't you?"

"The Avatar can't learn firebending from me."

Toph stood, folding her arms. "Why not? Think you're too weak?" She accentuated the insult with a smirk.

Rage rippled out from him. "Of course I'm not too weak!"

"Because, you know," she said, speaking as if she hadn't heard him, "the Avatar can only have the _best_ teachers." She spread her hands out, turning her back to him. "No weaklings in this group!"

Something hot spiked under the rage. Toph frowned, concentrating on that sensation. Was that his bending?

"You can't find anyone better than me," he growled.

She twisted her head back, "looking" over her shoulder. "Oh really?"

"Really!" He snarled, taking a step forward. Heat shot out from where he was connected to the earth again. "If you know who I am, you know what I can do!"

Toph whipped around, settling firmly into her stance. "Prove it!"

Zuko ripped the mask off his face, tying it to the strap resting across his chest. He dropped again into a fighting stance, aggression and rage radiating through the earth from him. "You asked for it. Maybe you won't regret it, but I _doubt_ that."

"Your little fire can't hurt me," she spoke in a mocking tone, smile on her face showing just how much she was relishing the banter. "Let's see what you've got, Prince."

Without warning, he leapt up, and a jet of flame shot straight towards her face.

* * *

So _this_ came from a fantastic RP I did with my friend. She is _AMAZING_ as Zuko. As such, 98% of Zuko's dialogue came direct from her, because I couldn't think of anything better. :D so I can't take credit for that.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Without warning, Zuko leapt up, and a jet of flame shot straight towards Toph's face.

She brought her fists up, and a rock wall shot up in front of her, the fire splashing against it. Without hesitation, she punched at it, sending large chunks of it flying towards the Fire Prince. He jumped again, landing on a ledge on the wall behind him, and the rocks crashed against the wall below. She punched the last of her wall at him, and twisted her foot, pushing the rock underneath him out.

Instead of it knocking him off his feet, he used the push to leap forward at her. She felt the heat of the flames surrounding his fist, squashed down her panic, and raised her arms, rising above him on a thick column of earth.

He twisted at the last moment, hitting the column with his feet and bouncing off, rolling away and back onto his feet. She raised her hands, closed her eyes, and jumped. The shockwave sent a thick layer of dust flying into the air, and he stopped moving.

Toph grinned. _This is where it _really_ gets fun…_

She jumped off the column, softening the earth below her enough to cushion her fall. She straightened, moving her hands around and sending rocks as big as her torso flying around and toward him.

He darted and dodged, her attacks missing by bare centimeters. He was quick on his feet—not as much as Twinkletoes, but certainly a lot more than any other Earthbender she had fought.

She kept the attack up. "What's the matter?" She called, voice mocking. "Don't like not being able to see?"

Silence greeted her.

_Very smart, Zuko. Too bad I don't need to hear your voice to know where you are._

He dodged another earth missile from her, then suddenly changed direction, heading towards the closest edge of her dust cloud. She whipped around, facing him.

"Oh no you don't," she muttered, and smacked her foot against the ground. Cracks raced from the impact point to where he was; as the ground gave beneath him, and he tripped.

Again, he surprised her: he used the fall to throw his weight backwards, then propelled himself into the air, and a stream of fire cut through her dust straight for her.

Shocked, Toph fell back, away from the heat, landing hard on her back. "Ah!" She twisted—feeling the heat of the flames barely miss her—and dug a chunk out of the earth, sending it flying back at him.

He must've dodged in the air; he landed, and she could feel the anger—but no pain—washing out from his connection to the earth. With the dust now gone, he was able to see her scramble up from the ground.

"You don't want to play with me!" He shouted, voice hot and angry—and instantly recognizable from the past.

Toph took her stance, using the movement to try to quash her fear—that voice was frightening. "Who said anything about playing?" She called back.

"Then really start fighting—!" He snarled, rushing towards her. He lunged to her from the left, flame-covered foot arcing down towards her head.

In the split second she had, she knelt and brought her hands up sharply above her head. A thick pyramid of earth sprang from the ground, sheltering her just in time. His kick bounced off, sending a jolt rippling through her feet. Ignoring the sudden headache, she pushed against the wall, sending him flying backwards. He rolled with it, easily coming back up into his stance.

Toph frowned. His style was _so different_ from anything she had fought before. It was like that girl's, the one who chased them… Azula. His sister. Of course. It made sense. But what would it take to knock him down?

She straightened up and circled around him, hands poised to bend, stretching her seismic sense out and trying to find _something_ she could use. He pivoted so that he was always facing her, waiting for her to make the next move.

There was something. It was going to be hard, but it just might work. Her grin widened beneath her bangs, and she angled her walk towards the cliff where she had first sensed him from. Several feet under the solid rock was a weak line, ready to explode with _just _the right push.

"Where did you learn your bending from?" She asked casually as she moved, as though they were still sitting and talking like friends and not in the middle of a fight.

Surprise laced outward from him, but he remained silent, still focusing on her.

She reached the cliff face, her head tilting to the side. "Still mad about those insults huh? Oh well. How about I show you a little trick I didn't learn from the badgermoles, hm?" Planting her feet firmly against the ground, she raised her arms and reached with her bending, pulling at the fault in the cliff face. The rocks were extremely heavy, so it was difficult, and she strained to both free the rocks and keep them under control. Her arms trembled slightly with the effort, echoing the tremors from the ground. He jumped back, and she grinned.

"ROCKALANCE!" She cried, and jumped. She landed hard and brought her arms into her body, then shot them straight out. The cliff face cracked, and exploded outwards, aimed right at Zuko.

He kept jumping back, but he couldn't outrun the flying rocks. His yells were almost buried under the sound of crashing earth, and Toph could feel him bouncing around in the attack. She stood still until everything settled, then took a deep breath, bending over and putting her shaking hands on her knees.

"Whoo…" she breathed out, trying to control her muscles. "That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be…" she stood there a moment until she got her breath back, then walked over to the pile where she could feel Zuko's heartbeat coming from. She swept her hands to the sides, and the rocks parted light curtains under her bending. "You alive?" She called in his direction.

With a gasp, he threw himself out of the debris and onto the open ground; he dragged himself several feet away and sat up, moving gingerly—probably from injuries, Toph realized with a frown.

"Hey, you _are_ alive!" She said, walking over to him. She held her hand out to help him up; it was still shaking slightly. "You're a great fighter," she told him quietly. "If you had been able to somehow dodge that, you would've won."

"… Maybe," he said grudgingly, not taking her hand.

She raised an eyebrow, then sat next to him, still a little short of breath. "No maybe about it. That last attack took a lot out of me. I don't think I would've been able to easily stop anything you threw at me." She paused, then grinned. "That was the best fight I've had in a _long_ time. Thanks."

"… You're welcome," he said, after a long pause. "Just… what was that supposed to prove?"

"You have my approval," she said, spreading her hands. "We could really use your help to teach Aang firebending."

He turned his head away, and the roll of emotions coming from his was so complex that Toph couldn't even begin to read it. "If I teach the Avatar firebending," he said, his voice heavy, "then I betray everything."

Toph sighed, the shrugged. "Your choice," she said, sweeping her hands out and away from her body, pushing the rubble back to the base of the cliff. "I don't know your situation, so I can't tell you what to do, if that's what you were hoping."

"No," he said through clenched teeth. "It's a relief to have someone not telling me what to do every time I turn around."

Toph couldn't hold back a bitter smile. "I know how that is. That's one of the reasons I ran away from home—I just couldn't handle my parents and their strict rules anymore… telling me I couldn't leave the house, or have any friends, or even learn more advanced earthbending." She picked up a small rock and tossed it as she spoke.

"They said that?" Zuko said, clearly startled. "Haven't they ever _seen_ what you could do?"

She caught the rock, rolling it between her fingers. "My father did, once. But for my whole life, they've seen me as their helpless, fragile, little blind daughter who can't do anything!" She threw the rock, and blew a crater into the boulder in front of her. "He saw my abilities, and then forbade me from leaving the house again." She drew her knees up, resting her arms on them and her chin on her arms. "They just don't understand…" she said quietly.

Zuko was quiet for a long moment, his face turned towards her. "It sounds like your father doesn't know you at all."

Toph shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "No. He doesn't."

"Funny how that happens," he said, his own voice bitter. "You'd think your parents would know you better than anyone else."

The way he said that… Toph turned her head towards him. "You've been through the same thing," she stated, instead of questioning.

"If I hadn't, do you think I'd be out here talking with you instead of helping my sis—Azula and my father?" The pain in his voice was just as plain as the early bitterness.

"Good point," she said, turning her face away. A thought occurred to her, and she barked a bitter laugh. "We wouldn't have met if it wasn't for our overbearing parents!"

"Or if we had," Zuko said, his voice ominous, "we would _really_ have been trying to kill each other."

Toph bit her lip. "That's no fun to think about."

"No, it isn't." He was quiet and unmoving for several long minutes, and Toph wondered what he was looking at.

"You left home," he eventually said, his voice quiet. "You made the choice to take your life into your own hands—did it work? Are you… happy?"

Toph lowered her head, thinking about everything that had happened in the couple of months since she left home. She thought about Aang's struggles in his lessons; about Katara's constant, but almost comforting nagging; about Sokka's stupid jokes; even about fuzzy Appa and the terrifying experience of flying wherever they traveled. She thought about the yelling matches and the loss of sleep and the rush of fighting for her life with everyone.

"You know what…" she said slowly, "I am. I _am_ happy. At home, I always had to sneak around if I wanted to earthbend, and my parents always wanted me to act like a lady—the complete opposite of what I am." She pulled a face. "Here… I have… friends. Sure, Aang stinks at earthbending, and Katara's really _really_ good at annoying me sometimes, but I like being with them and traveling around. It's a lot better than being at home. I _am_ perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and they can see that a lot better than my parents did."

"… you're lucky to have friends like that," he said quietly.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Usually, I think so too."

"Do you think you'll ever go back home?" He asked, his voice a little wistful.

"Honestly? Hopefully not." She shrugged. "Knowing my parents, they would probably lock me in my room and never let me out."

"I don't think there's a room built that could hold you. And… even knowing what you can do, they still won't see it?"

Toph laughed, feeling bitter. "If there was a room made of metal, I'd be pretty much stuck. And no. I'll always be their helpless, fragile, blind daughter. But I think… sometimes I think they're more blind than I am."

"It sounds like it. I wish I could be amazed at that kind of misunderstanding… but it happens." He shifted position, drawing his knees up and folding his arms on top, then resting his chin on his arms. "After all, I wouldn't be out here if my father and I saw things eye-to-eye."

"Don't you have damaged eyes too?" Toph blurted, the question popping out before she could stop it.

Zuko stiffened, one of his hands raising to ouch his face. "Just one. It's… scarred pretty badly, but I can still see out of it."

"Consider yourself lucky," she said, turning her face towards him. She lowered her legs to sit criss-cross, resting one elbow on a knee and putting her chin on her fist. "I've never met anybody with a scar like that before. Does it still hurt?"

Shock rippled through the earth. "I… no. Sometimes I think it does, but it doesn't really. It's dead."

She turned her face towards his, wishing hard that she could see details with her seismic sense… but that wasn't how it worked. "What does it look like?"

He turned his head away. "It's hideous. It's red and ridged and it pulls my eye out of shape."

She gave him a smile. "I think you look just fine."

"You have no idea how I look," he said, his voice sulky.

Toph chuckled. "It was _supposed_ to be funny."

He turned his head back, and she wondered what kind of look he was giving her… and just what exactly a scar looked like. Curious, she lifted her hand off the ground, then paused.

_I should probably ask… I don't want to get burned._

"You know, I've never 'seen' a scar before… can I touch yours?"

His shock was overpowering. "…what?"

She lifted her hand. "I can't see facial details with my bending, so I only know what people look like through touch. Can I?"

His pulse quickened, and again, his emotions tumbled over each other in a confused wave that she couldn't decipher.

"… if you want to."

* * *

IT'S TOPH'S TURN FOR A FIELD TRIP WITH ZUKO, OKAY?

OKAY.

Again, I can't take credit for 99% of Zuko's dialogue and actions.

Picking chapter breaks is HARRRRRRDDDDDD but this is way too long to post as one chapter.


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